Morning, Friendly! (or Thoughts From My Bed)

Oh, it's gonna be a great day.

There are few things in life better than breakfast in bed. Sometimes it’s even better when you don’t have to make it yourself, but other times there’s a certain kind of satisfaction to be had when you can climb back into your bed after having already gotten up to start your day to enjoy the delicious plate of waffles you’ve just made for yourself. It means you’re taking the time to enjoy the finer things in life. Or you’re just really lazy. I like to tell myself it’s the former, mostly because it keeps me from chastising myself while I’m enjoying my breakfast. Nothing should ever come between a man and his waffles. 

It’s Saturday morning. The week is over, and there’s plenty to talk about. Here’s what I’m thinking about this morning:

* * * * *

So I got an iPhone on Thursday.

[Photo: Apple]

I’ve had February 2nd (update day) circled on my calendar for about 6 months now. My previous phone (which I’m seriously considering lighting on fire one of these days) had been driving me nuts to the point that all I could think about was getting rid of it. After many months of waiting for upgrade day, I finally made it happen.


But as I sit here typing this, I know I didn’t do a very good job of waiting for it. Make no mistake, these phones are amazing (Siri-ously!), but I think I wanted one a little too much. Unbridled desire is always more destructive than it is helpful. Have you ever felt like this? That guilty sort of feeling, not because the thing you wanted is bad by itself but because you know your desire for that thing was way out of line? That’s kind of how I feel today. The phone is great, and I’m super glad my other phone is in Phone Purgatory where it belongs...but I wish I had done a better job of tempering my (I’ll just say it) lust for something as fleeting as a telephone.

* * * * *

Coincidentally enough, my roommates and I have decided to commit to a media fast for the foreseeable future. The terms of our agreement: while we’re in the house, we won’t be using the internet, watching TV or movies, or using smartphone apps that allow us to use the internet or watch videos. We decided to do this for a number of reasons, but I think the most important reason is we want to do a better job of cultivating relationships, both with God and each other. Media tends mostly to distract us from one another, so by doing this we’re hoping to create more space to be part of each other's lives and hopefully start praying & worshiping together more often.


I know lots of people think the idea of fasting is stupid. And I totally understand their frustration. Why deny yourself something good? Here’s my brief answer: when something is pulling you away from Christ and each other rather than drawing you closer together, and your goal is to know God and know each other, it has to be considered expendable (at least temporarily). I’ll probably write more about this some other time, but for now I’m interested to see what the next month or so will be like for us as we take a step back from media for a while.

* * * * *


Supposedly, there’s a very important football game being played on Sunday. As an Eagles fan, I can’t in good conscience root for either team (both of which I refuse to refer to by name, mostly because they both win more than my team does and I’m a poor sport) without turning in my fan card. I’ve given this a lot of thought, and I’ve decided the only thing that would make Sunday a good day is if Jesus comes back before the game is over. That way, I get to be with Jesus forever and nobody wins the Super Bowl. Anything short of that would be unsatisfactory at best.*


So tomorrow night, I’ll be rooting for the commercials. And Jesus. And waffles. Because waffles are amazing.

* * * * *


Finally, you’ve probably already seen this, but just in case you haven’t...just press play.

*(However, in the event that my prayers go unanswered...I like the P******s over the G****s in a shootout, 33-29. Hopefully I'm too busy eating waffles to notice. Have I mentioned I like waffles?)

//

Oh, it's gonna be a great day.

There are few things in life better than breakfast in bed. Sometimes it’s even better when you don’t have to make it yourself, but other times there’s a certain kind of satisfaction to be had when you can climb back into your bed after having already gotten up to start your day to enjoy the delicious plate of waffles you’ve just made for yourself. It means you’re taking the time to enjoy the finer things in life. Or you’re just really lazy. I like to tell myself it’s the former, mostly because it keeps me from chastising myself while I’m enjoying my breakfast. Nothing should ever come between a man and his waffles.


It’s Saturday morning. The week is over, and there’s plenty to talk about. Here’s what I’m thinking about this morning:

* * * * *

So I got an iPhone on Thursday.

[Photo: Apple]

I’ve had February 2nd (update day) circled on my calendar for about 6 months now. My previous phone (which I’m seriously considering lighting on fire one of these days) had been driving me nuts to the point that all I could think about was getting rid of it. After many months of waiting for upgrade day, I finally made it happen.


But as I sit here typing this, I know I didn’t do a very good job of waiting for it. Make no mistake, these phones are amazing (Siri-ously!), but I think I wanted one a little too much. Unbridled desire is always more destructive than it is helpful. Have you ever felt like this? That guilty sort of feeling, not because the thing you wanted is bad by itself but because you know your desire for that thing was way out of line? That’s kind of how I feel today. The phone is great, and I’m super glad my other phone is in Phone Purgatory where it belongs...but I wish I had done a better job of tempering my (I’ll just say it) lust for something as fleeting as a telephone.

* * * * *

Coincidentally enough, my roommates and I have decided to commit to a media fast for the foreseeable future. The terms of our agreement: while we’re in the house, we won’t be using the internet, watching TV or movies, or using smartphone apps that allow us to use the internet or watch videos. We decided to do this for a number of reasons, but I think the most important reason is we want to do a better job of cultivating relationships, both with God and each other. Media tends mostly to distract us from one another, so by doing this we’re hoping to create more space to be part of each other's lives and hopefully start praying & worshiping together more often.


I know lots of people think the idea of fasting is stupid. And I totally understand their frustration. Why deny yourself something good? Here’s my brief answer: when something is pulling you away from Christ and each other rather than drawing you closer together, and your goal is to know God and know each other, it has to be considered expendable (at least temporarily). I’ll probably write more about this some other time, but for now I’m interested to see what the next month or so will be like for us as we take a step back from media for a while.

* * * * *


Supposedly, there’s a very important football game being played on Sunday. As an Eagles fan, I can’t in good conscience root for either team (both of which I refuse to refer to by name, mostly because they both win more than my team does and I’m a poor sport) without turning in my fan card. I’ve given this a lot of thought, and I’ve decided the only thing that would make Sunday a good day is if Jesus comes back before the game is over. That way, I get to be with Jesus forever and nobody wins the Super Bowl. Anything short of that would be unsatisfactory at best.*


So tomorrow night, I’ll be rooting for the commercials. And Jesus. And waffles. Because waffles are amazing.

* * * * *


Finally, you’ve probably already seen this, but just in case you haven’t...just press play.

*(However, in the event that my prayers go unanswered...I like the P******s over the G****s in a shootout, 33-29. Hopefully I'm too busy eating waffles to notice. Have I mentioned I like waffles?)

//